On October 11, India and Sri Lanka signed three agreements to foster their existing bilateral ties. The Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar called on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo and had an extensive discussion with him on the same. Dr. Jaishankar was in Sri Lanka to attend the 23rd Council of Ministers Meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and paid a visit to the Presidential Secretariat to meet Wickremesinghe. According to the High Commission of India in Colombo the meeting was “a testimony to millennia-old ties and the comprehensive nature of the development partnership between India and Sri Lanka.” The following were the key takeaways from the meeting:
Indian Housing Project:
A tripling of the unit cost of a house under Phase IV of Indian Housing Project is expected to be rolled out soon. It will benefit from the construction of 10,000 houses in the plantation areas and 1,300 houses in general. Allocation of funds in each project will increase by at least 50 per cent too in 9 ongoing grant projects.
Development in the Dairy Sector:
India’s National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), its largest FMCG brand, Amul and Cargills (Ceylon) PLC, and Sri Lanka’s leading retail and FMCG company listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange signed a Joint Venture Shareholders Agreement. It is believed to be a step towards strengthening Sri Lanka’s dairy sector to reach self-sufficiency.
Virtual Inaugurations:
The High Commission also listed a series of housing projects that were inaugurated virtually in the meeting. “126 houses in Badulla, Matale and Matara districts are under Phase 3 of the Indian Housing Project. Around 3750–4000 were handed over. 48 houses in Matale and Puttalam districts are under the Model Village Housing Project. 600 houses across the 25 districts of #Lka are being built. 64 houses in Hambantota and Jaffna districts are under Gram Shakthi Projects. 1800 houses are being built in these two provinces under the project. Close to 250 houses were inaugurated virtually in the meeting.
Commemorative Logo:
During the meeting, a joint logo was unveiled in commemoration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two maritime nations. According to Jaishankar, the logo is a symbol of the long cultural, historical, and interpersonal relationship between India and Sri Lanka.
Conclusion:
Such a high-profile meeting was undertaken in order to carry forward the bilateral relationship between the two neighbors across many domains of cooperation. The projects inaugurated towards social housing, community development and the dairy industry would surely ease the lives of Sri Lankans. This was EAM Jaishankar’s second visit to Sri Lanka in 2023. At the IORA Council of Ministers’ Meeting, India was elected as the Vice Chair of the Council for 2023-25 and is expected to become the Chair in 2025-27.
